Parks and Recreation

Morton Township is nestled in the heart of Michigan and boasts over 1500 acres of lakes, rivers and freshwater streams. There are limitless opportunities for water sports enthusiasts – whether you favor fishing, golfing, swimming, boating, water skiing, canoeing, kayaking or tubing.

In addition, we abound with nationally-rated golf courses such as St. Ives, Tullymore, The Royal, The Pines and The Highlands, all suited for every level of golfing skill from nearly professional to family outings.

The seven Mecosta County Parks are located throughout the county on waterfront properties where you can enjoy swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking and a variety of other fun activities.Vehicle permits are required for park entrance in addition to camping fees. You can purchase daily, weekly, or monthly passes.

School Section Lake Veteran’s Park is located within our township at 9003 90th Avenue, Mecosta. This park is a pleasant combination of history, nature, camping and family fun. The trademark feature of the 86-acre park is our large sand swimming area, beach and historic fieldstone concessions building. The park is home to an original one room schoolhouse which continues to offer educational summer programs.

Canoe & Kayak Launch

The River Access Park for launching your canoe or kayak onto the Little Muskegon River is located on 7 Mile Road at the East Branch Bridge. The River Park includes free parking, a picnic table, a rain garden, and a launching dock with steps for easy access.

This river is an average of waist deep, depending on the time of the year and is a clear, clean river with a steady current to float. The next exit is about 2 hours down the river at 5 Mile Road at Altona Park. From Altona Park you can paddle another couple of hours to an area near Rustford. Here you can portage around the dam and paddle another couple of hours to Morley Mill Pond where you will find a parking lot, gas stations, and restaurants.

Biking & Hiking Trails

Morton Township has made a future commitment to installing 4′ bike lanes on many of our new pavement projects. Bike lanes have been added to 80th Ave., from 11 Mile to 13 Mile. Watch for wider lanes on Buchanan in 2019.

Morton Township will be opening a new Trail Head in Mecosta, behind the VFW Hall on M-20. The trail will head west out of town to 80th Ave., following the old CSX railroad tracks. Our ultimate township goal is to connect to the White Pine Trail in Big Rapids, and the newly designed Dragon Trail located to the west of our township.

Also available to serious bikers is the White Pine Trail, which runs from south of Grand Rapids to Cadillac. Day bike trips to Reed City and back, for instance, are currently enjoyed regularly by local biking clubs. An alternative would be a morning or afternoon walk or bike ride, on one of our local trails.